We will win!"
Wild, short, soul-stirring slogans mix with the resounding voices of gong and drum in a quick-tempo disco beat to jar the very air. White, red, blue, and yellow pompons, timed to the music, sway up and down, right to left. Silver and gold Chinese-flavored paper fans, opening and closing in turns, deliver their sincere greetings. Versatile flash-board demonstrations, staged in the stands, in no way allow anyone to neglect their co-existence.
Such was the opening of Taiwan's First College and University Cheerleading Tournament. Sponsored by the China Youth Corps (CYC), and with the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts as host, the tourney featured a total of 16 participant squads and 3 demonstration teams. A capacity crowd of 12,000 at the China Sports and Culture Center vigorously applauded events in a newly energetic, dazzling, fantasy-colored world.
When the idea of staging a cheerleading-team contest was first spelled out by Professor Lee Tien-ming, chairman of the department of dance of the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts, in a meeting late last December, other attendees sank into a negative mood. No one had the slightest idea how such a Western-originated fancy could be reproduced on Taiwan, although athletics cheerleaders have been active here for some time.
The cheerleading squads in Taiwan normally conduct themselves as in the West. "Is Lao Wang's watermelon good?" a squad shouts. The crowd responds: "Good! Good! Good!" Or, during climactic moments at some international tournaments, you will hear, "China team go!" But witnessing the more artistic demonstration staged by Professor Lee's dance students, many at the meeting wondered how this would transfer to "real" cheerleading squads. Especially, how about dancing for teams from industrial colleges for males-training the tough, strong, male squads to be graceful dancers promised to create big headaches. However, with CYC's zealous encouragement and the Academy's guarantee of all necessary assistance, 16 colleges and universities (mainly located in northern Taiwan) finally took up the challenge, and the first tournament began to shape up.
Ming Chuan College, the tourney's first-prize winner, credited its victory to a background of traditional inter-campus contests, held at annual founders day celebrations since 1971. Ms. Sun Mei-lien, a physical education instructor with 10 years' experience and a major "choreographer" for the Ming Chuan cheerleaders, elaborated on the college's selection process:
At first, an inner-school, small-scale contest was held over winter vacation. Each of the college's 12 departments organized two competition teams. About 70-odd candidates were first selected out. Then, after further testing, 50 girls, averaging over 163 cm. in height, and naturally graceful, were chosen for the tourney squad.
Their costumes were especially designed by famous alumna Eliza Wang—professionally known for her Oriental fashions. A purple-red and black two-piece set was worn with black leotards and red pump shoes. All this produced a matured and mysterious ambience. When the dancers, all at once, loosened their girdles and wielded their skirts over their heads in the air like flags, moving in time to a disco rhythm, the audience, surprised and amused, applauded uproariously.
This cheerleading squad emulates athletic activity
The squad's acrobat-like routine involved successive uniform kicking motions, aerial somersaults, body contortions, and quick formations. The unified, clean-cut motions matched and enhanced the beat of the accompanying music.
When Chung-yuan Christian University's masculine phalanx jumped onto the center ground, the roaring excitement spontaneously generated by their dramatic make-up echoed off the arched stadium ceiling. Chinese-opera faces and topless kungfu costumes implemented an intensive Chinese spirit-one of the host's priority requirements for the tournament. The team evoked the warrior figures from Chinese opera. The physical movements attempted to sketch the muscle play of athletics. In a final scene, the squad imitated the pattern of the famed United States flag-raising team after the WW II landing on Iwo Jima, to symbolize, in this case, the undaunted athletic spirit, perseverance, and forbearance in the face of challenge.
Ming Chi Institute of Technology, bearing the school motto as a motif, chose farmer-type costumes—broad-brimmed farm hat and a stick hoe-and went on to project the diligence, patience, and simplicity of the men of the earth. Chin Tze-chiang, director of the school's extra curricular activities and an industrial design expert, enthusiastically described their particular training method:
Since no professional dancing teacher was routinely available, Ms. Tu Yu-lin, a fourth-year student at the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts, was invited to act as chief instructor. Tu chose ten assistants from the Institute's department of industrial management to help her. The ten first learned the required movements from Tu, then were charged with the responsibility of training the squad. A quote from one of the 48 trainees illustrates the resulting ordeal: "This short, painstaking time was memorable not only for the happiness finally obtained, but for the hardships never previously borne."
Unlike most of the other teams, which performed to Western disco music, the Ming Chi squad drilled to traditional Chinese percussive music composed by the school's Chinese Music Society.
Co-eds meet to compare notes and estimate their chances
National Taiwan University, the second-prize winner, made its mark with a routine featuring simple, natural, and lively movements. This was the only all girl squad neglecting successive kicking movements. Instead, the motions and gestures of basketball, softball, tennis, and rope jumping were gracefully accomplished. Co-ed Chang Chin-yu, a sophomore in the department of library science, talked about her feelings: "In some ways, this contest was like a large-scale disco dancing party. Modern and jazz dancing steps and techniques really played too heavy a role in many routines. However, I think it was a meaningful activity and enjoyed it very much."
Professor Lee, seated comfortably on a sofa in his living room on Yunchi Street, following the tournament, elaborated on his purposes:
"The cheer leading routines involve the combined presentation of gymnastics, music, slogans, dancing, and costumes-team activities capable of displaying a signal unity of will, beauty, and strength. Young people, full of vigor and vitality, are especially fit to meet the challenge.
"Pan Chen-chew, director of CYC, clearly detailed three goals in his opening remarks: 'First, to reflect youth's exuberance and vitality. Then, a demonstration to youth that cooperative team work paves the way to final victory. And last, as a promotion of interscholastic friendship.' But, my ambition goes still further. I wish to apply and extend this colorful performance to the parades and demonstrations during important festivals or as independent celebration activities."
Lee feels that during the last 30-odd years, whenever a parade has been staged, the often monotonous, boring, and unchanged marching lines, flags or posters in hand, have neither fully displayed youth's high spirits nor aroused exuberant attention. He wishes to create a new image for tradition-bound parade performances.
Remarking on negative criticism of the tourney, Lee commented that the sometimes neglect of the Chinese spirit and culture in this first trial should not obscure the many positive effects. Nevertheless, he concluded, improvements are indicated for future contests.